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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27892006">Everything You'd Hoped For</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/paupotter_4869/pseuds/paupotter_4869'>paupotter_4869</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Most Important Thing. . . [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Last of Us (Video Games)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Character Development, Character Study, Giraffes, Growth, Salt Lake City, Short One Shot, at that moment they take a second to rest and reflect everything they've been through, before they unknowingly head for hell itself, everything you'd hoped for, soft, st mary's hospital, vanishing grace</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 16:34:38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,491</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27892006</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/paupotter_4869/pseuds/paupotter_4869</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Twice has Joel asked Ellie that question. Now, up there on the roof, watching those magnificent giraffes, they look back on their journey.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ellie &amp; Joel (The Last of Us)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Most Important Thing. . . [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2033674</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Everything You'd Hoped For</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I do not own anything. All credit to Naughty Dogs. </p><p>Enjoy !</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Up there on the rooftop, watching those gorgeous and majestic animals enjoy and roam the city as if it were their natural habitat since the beginning of time, Joel breathed upon seeing Ellie’s first genuine smile of the day. He was starting to get worried about her—she’d been blue all day, without listening to anything he said, absent, and oblivious. </p><p>“So,” he said, soft tone, “this is everything you’d ever hoped for?” </p><p>Twice had Joel asked her that and the two occasions couldn’t have been more different. </p><p>The first one, up in that roof staring at the Capitol where he and Tess were supposed to take her, he was almost mocking Ellie, wondering if the pains they’d been through that first night had been worth it. They didn’t trust each other yet, they’d been forced together by Marlene and neither of them liked it one bit. </p><p>Put it simply, they were both means to an end to each other. From Ellie’s point of view, Joel was just an old, cantankerous man who didn’t want the job in the first place and who’d decided he didn’t like Ellie within minutes from meeting her. All in all, he was just a bodyguard, a man who could grant her safe passage to Marlene and the Fireflies. A brief acquaintance that would take her one step closer to finding the cure. </p><p>To Joel, back then, she was only cargo. He was supposed to drop her off, collect his payment, and be on his way. It was a simple enough mission—not that there <em>were</em>  any easy missions, what with the military, other gangs, and bandits, or the Infected. Within a few hours, he would complete the task, deliver the girl, go back to Lincoln, get his weapons back, and never see her again. No one was supposed to die throughout the mission, either. </p><p>However, life got messy, as usual, and they were forced to rearrange their original plans. </p><p>Now, in Salt Lake City, he asked her that question again, and they both realized things had changed drastically. They were no longer two complete and reluctant strangers brought together against their will. Over the past year, they’d learned who the other person was: Joel saw that Ellie was an extremely resourceful, brave, and strong girl. Ellie had learned about Joel’s past, about Sarah, and how it pained him to this day. </p><p>They’d bonded and grown fond of each other—for a lack of a better word. Now, they trusted each other implicitly. They’d proven they had each other’s backs through thick and thin. They did make a good team, without a shred of doubt. </p><p>The worse part of it all was, that now, after a year together, fighting side by side, they were supposed to go each other’s way. Despite all the arguments they had back at Tommy’s dam about splitting apart, and how strongly she refused to go with Tommy instead of Joel to find that Lab, their separation was now inevitable. As soon as they’d reach that hospital, Joel’s mission would end—he’d have delivered her safe and sound to the Fireflies, and he could go back to his old life, while Ellie worked with Marlene and her doctors. </p><p>It pained Ellie so much. The cure was the most important thing, of course, she hadn’t lost sight of that—if whatever caused her to be immune could save a single human life, the whole trip to Salt Lake City and her fourteen years of life would have been worth it. However, Ellie was feeling slightly reluctant. Being away from Joel. . . She’d confessed back then she felt insecure without him, and that hadn’t gone away in time, the feeling had only grown and grown. She didn’t want to imagine how much her anxiety would spike up without him around. She wanted him to stay with her. . . But she knew she couldn’t force him to stay behind. </p><p>“It’s got its ups and downs,” said Ellie in response. “But you can’t deny the view, though.” </p><p>After the nightmares they’d been through lately, they stopped to rest and enjoy that gorgeous scenery laid out in front of them. So calm, so nostalgic, so peaceful, so relaxing, standing up in that roof, it was a minute of pure calm and beauty. </p><p>Joel caught Ellie. . . Smiling? After everything she’d been through, that little break, the simple and marvelous achievement of petting a giraffe, had gotten a smile on her face. She seemed happy, maybe for the first time since he’d met her. He wanted to put his arm around her shoulders, hold her tight, vow to her that he’d use everything in his power to keep that little smile on her face for as long as possible. He did nothing of that, uncertain if Ellie would appreciate it. </p><p>That serene expression on her face made Joel remember how young Ellie truly was. The world had stripped her of her childhood, her innocence, and subjected her to levels of horror and pain she never should have known in the first place. Innocence still existed somewhere inside of her, buried deep within. Under layers and more layers of protective shields she’d built over the years and the losses and struggles, she’d been through. </p><p>Earlier, she’d shown him that picture of him and Sarah at that football match. Maybe she was trying to remind him of the joyful and hopeful man he once was, and that she’d hope he could be again. Maybe it was a reminder that, despite Sarah’s loss, he could still look up, enjoy life again instead of just hating and dreading every minute of it until he was killed off, too. </p><p>And that was what most marveled Joel about Ellie: she’d seen the worst of humankind, she’d barely survived the worst specimens of humans, and yet, she believed in the cure. She’d traveled all across the country and endured it all to get to Marlene and create a vaccine. That young girl still looked at the world in awe and hope, even though she’d seen, first-hand, that the world was a terrible place—who was it who said that a man is a wolf to another man, or something along those lines? Hadn’t Ellie seen enough proof to confirm that? </p><p>He turned around silently to get to the door. They couldn’t stand there forever, they were so close to the Hospital, already. Being honest to himself, Joel didn’t, or couldn’t, quite understand Ellie’s take on all of this. She thought she was the key to finding a cure. . . But was the world truly worth a cure? </p><p>At that moment, he realized he couldn’t keep quiet anymore. He had to express his point of view and concerns, in case Ellie had had a change of mind after all she’d been through. </p><p>“We don’t have to do this,” he said, sighing deeply. “You know that, right?” </p><p>If she said the word, he’d take her far away from that hospital, far away from the city, and would hide her and keep her safe from the Fireflies and Marlene. Wouldn’t be too difficult, actually. Considering the living hell they lived in now, Marlene would completely buy it if he told her Ellie had perished in a terrible accident on their way to Salt Lake City—he’d barely make it out alive as it was, incidentally. Marlene would understand and give up on that useless quest of finding a cure for that goddamn virus.  </p><p>“What’s the other option?” she replied. </p><p>“Go back to Tommy’s,” Joel tried to argue. “Just. . . Be done with this whole damn thing.” </p><p>He wanted so desperately for her to say yes. If she could bring herself to forget, he could provide her with a home, a safe place to rest, where she wouldn’t have to worry about bandits or Infected and whatnot. She could have a relatively normal life. . . </p><p>“After all we’ve been through,” she said. “Everything that I’ve done. It can’t be for nothing.” </p><p>Of course, she hadn’t changed her mind, Joel scowled. Her goal hadn’t wavered. Her immunity and finding a cure was what mattered to her. He let Ellie go and Joel, regretting not being able to convince her, took one last look at those gorgeous animals disappearing through the woods in the middle of the city. </p><p>He took one last breath of air and then followed her into the building—wouldn’t let any Infected jump onto Ellie now of all times. On their way down, she kept arguing, making her case. </p><p>“Look, I know you mean well. . . But there’s no half-way with this. Once we’re done here, we’ll go wherever you want to go. Okay?” </p><p>“Well, I ain’t leaving without you. So let’s go wrap this up.” </p><p>Without Joel knowing, Ellie breathed just a little bit easier then. She felt much better knowing Joel wasn’t just going to drop her off at the hospital, abandoning her like an unwanted puppy. It made all the difference.</p>
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